This Japanese Man Only Slept 30 Minutes A Day For 12 Years. Here's Why

On average, the human body requires around 6-8 hours of sleep for optimal health. A lack of sufficient sleep can negatively impact your mood and make daily functioning difficult. Experts agree that consistently getting 6-8 hours of sleep can enhance mood, cognitive function, and overall health. But what if we told you about a man who has only slept for 30 minutes a day for the past 12 years? It sounds unbelievable, but it's true.

A Japanese man named Daisuke Hori has maintained a sleep routine of just 30 minutes per day for 12 years to "double" his life, as reported by the South China Morning Post. The 40-year-old from Hyogo prefecture in western Japan claims to have trained his body and brain to function normally with minimal sleep, and he says this practice has significantly improved his work efficiency.

According to the South China Morning Post, Mr Hori stated, "As long as you exercise or drink coffee an hour before eating, you can stave off drowsiness."

Mr Hori, an entrepreneur, believes that high-quality sleep is more important than long sleep when it comes to maintaining focus. "People who require sustained concentration in their work benefit more from high-quality sleep than from long sleep. For example, doctors and firefighters have shorter rest periods but maintain high efficiency," the media outlet reported.

To explore Hori's claims further, Japan's Yomiuri TV followed him closely for three days on a reality show titled Will You Go With Me? The show highlighted an instance where Hori slept for just 26 minutes, woke up energized, had breakfast, went to work, and even hit the gym. Yes, let that sink in.

In addition to his unique sleep routine, Mr Hori founded the Japan Short Sleepers Training Association in 2016, where he teaches classes on sleep and health. To date, he has trained over 2,100 students to become ultra-short sleepers.

In another extraordinary case, an 80-year-old Vietnamese man named Thai Ngoc claims to have not slept for over 60 years. Ngoc says that after contracting a fever in 1962, he lost the ability to sleep. Despite various therapies and sleeping pills, his insomnia remains unchanged.